LessonT,Page12
'€
WHYSEPAR{TISM?
in the
1960s and I970s many people
in
Quebec wanted
their province to
separate from.Canada. Why? Read the following opinions.
I a separatist? I only feel at home in
Quebec. Here i can speak my language, read the
Why am
in French, hear my kind of music. When I
go the store, i'm served in my own language. I
know this is my community. When I travel outside
Quebec, i just don't leel comfortable- I don't feel
accepted. I feel different--and I don't iike it.
.papers
Pter-re
Quebec is where I belong.
Me too. I feel at home in Quebec. The rest of
Canada seems like a foreign land. I think we
{@{
should make Quebec a true country. i think we
should separate. Then Quebec
'
will be an
indepencient nation.---
Thereis another reason we need
to separate
from
Canada. We need to control our economy--our
business life. Too m+ny bosses and owners of
businesses here are English. And most of the
workers are French. It's.not fair. To be a boss,
you have to be English. To be a Iow paid worker,
you have to be French. lf we had an independent
Quebec, that would change fast.
{aqys
What about our language and culture? We need
to protect these
swamped
precj.ous
things.
We're being
by American and English-Canadian
culture on TV, records, movies, magazines. We
need to separate from Canada, form our own
rar rnfrrr
gvulrLlJ.
culture.
Then
rrrlll
\r/c
-:n
+c-?
^Fn
HtvLuu
^t
rr
f)r rehce
3
Federalism vs' Separatism fPart 1]
P
Bilingualism
. During thjquiet Revolution, Quebec demanded equal ffeatrnent in
Canadian Affairs
. Trudeau didn't believe in special status for Quebec
. His answer was to make Canada a bilingual nation (O{ficial
.,
Languages Act 1969)
An attempt to appease Quebeckers failed
:. i',:",:.:.i
:r
.:i.
' :::
'.:.
'1- .i ''
:;,,:
:
UI
6
a
o
o
l:4
IltB 0rln
U
tri sis
8l
5 October 1970, g:15
a.m. - The doorbell
rvorks of Radio Canada.
ll
calls the people of
Quebec to rev'olution
rings in the home of the
senior British trade com-
nrissioner
in
arid ends with the rr.ords
'Long live free
euebec!"
l0 October - euebec
Labour Minister pierre
,Laporte is in his front
lvlontreal,
James R. Cross. Trvo men
carrying a gi ft-rvrapped
package tell the person
rr'ho opens the door thai
they ir.ant to deliver it to
yard tossing a fooiball
rvith his nephew. Suddenly, a blue Chei'roleti
stops. Four men ryith
NIr: Cross. Inside rhe
house, theyi pull a rifle
from the package and
seize James Cross.
1l:30a.m.-Aradio
.Soldiers stood on the streets of rtIontreal
during the October Crisis in IgT0.
station receives ransom
dernands from the kidnappers.
Thei, identify
themselves as members of the
FIQ anO
dentand the release of 23 political pri.soners
being held for bombings and
terroiist activ.ities.Thel'also demand transportation
to Cuba
orAlgeria, $500 000 in gold bars,
and publi:.1]"." of the FLe Manifesro (sraremenr of
beliefs). The government has
4g hours to comply or Cross rvill be kiljed.
8 October - The governrnent refuses the
demands of the kidnappers,
but rhe FLQ Mani'festg js read on the radio
and television net_
o:
-'
machine guns shove
Laporte into the back
seat and speed awar: The
No.2 man in the euebec
government has been kidnapped. The
Que_
bec goi'ernment now begins to take this
crisis very,seriously. premier Bourassa takes
refuge in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel
sur_
rounded b1, armed guards. Laporte's kidna1
pers identify themselves as a second
cell or
the FLQ.
12 October - In Ottawa, federal troops
take
up positions around government buitaings
and provide escorts for important politicians.
16 October, 4:00 a.m. _ On the advice
of
the Quebec government, prime Minister
Trudeau proclaims the War Nleasures Act. It is
the first time the act has ever been used in
peacetime. The War i\leasures Act takes
arva;'the civil righs of all Canadians. lt makes
membership in the FLQ a criminal offence
and bans political rallies.The police anywhere
in Canada can hold people rvithout charge for
up to 2l days and without trial for up to 90
days. Police and military can arrest peopie just
on the suspigion ol belonging to the FLQ.
Trudeau argues that the act is justified
b.ecause the kidnappings are the beginning
ol a conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Asked by a reporter how far the government
tvill go,Trudeau replies,"Just watch me."
In pre-dawn raids the police round up,
among others, 50 members ol the Parti
Qu€b€cois. A total of 465 peoole are eventu-
l8 October - In the earll'hours, the body o
Pierre Lapotte is found in the trunk of.the ca;
used to kidnap him. He had been choked tc
death with the religious chain he wore
around his neck. Amazing)y; the car is parkec
near the armed forces base at St. Hubert
4 December - Police surround a house ir:
suburban Montreal where James Cross has
been held for 59 day's. Aiter hours of bargain.
ing, the armed kidnappers and their lawyer
drive to the Expo 67 site. The kidnappers sur.
render Cross, and in exchange, are flown t'o
Cuba.
28
December
-
Three FLQ rr€nr.er"s
accused of assassinating Laporte crawl out of
a tunnel hidden under a farmhouse south oI
Montreal. They surrender to the police and
are charged with murder. The FLQ crisis is
Federalism vs. Separatism: part Deux
Parti Ouebecois
o Nov. 15 1976 - the Parti euebecois (pe was voted into power in
'
o
Quebec (a landslide victory)
The parry platform was "To build the country of
euebec,,
Led by Rene Levesque
Biil
.
o
o
.
o
101
PQ was not satisfied with Trudeau,s language act
Passed the charter of the French Language (Bill 1 0l) rg77
Strong restrictions on the use of the English language
French was the only language to be used by courts, govemment offices,
businesses
Limited access to English schools - many were denied the right to an
English education - especially new immigrants
o To enforce the new law, the pe created "the language police,,
o Many English speakers and businesses left euebec
1980 Referendum
c Levesque knew that only a small minority wanted outright separation
from Canada
o
o
Therefore he proposed a referendum on Sovereignty-Association
This means that Quebec would be a sovereign (independent) country that
controls its own taxes and policies but would keep .lor. economic ties
with Canada
e 60Yo of Quebeckers voted against sovereignfy-association
1982 Constitutional Crisis
3 Trudeau made attempts to "repatriate" (bring home) the BNA act which
was under the jurisdiction of Britain
' These all failed because the Provinces could not agree on the rules of the
New Constitution
' During a meeting (in which all the Premiers attended) in Ottawa, nine
Premiers (not Levesque) made a compromise and the constitutional
package was signed (which includes the new Constitution and a Charter
of Rights and Freedoms)
o Quebec felt like it had been back-stabbed by the rest of canada
o Quebec had been holding out in hopes that the new constitution would
help solve some French/Enelish issues
New Prime Minister Brian Mulroney wanted to bring
euebec and
canada back together (Liberals under Bourassa were back in power in
Quebec)
The MLA was an amendment to the constitution that addressed the
needs of Quebec
1. Quebec was a distinct Society
3 of 9 supreme court judges were from
euebec
3. All changes to the constitution required the agreement of all ten
provinces
4. Provinces could refuse to accept any Federal program
5. Quebec had control of its own immigration
All Provinces accepted
The MLA was defeated in parliament (by Native Indians, women,s
groups and new governments in Manitoba, Newfoundland and New
?
o
o
Brunswick)
3
'
'
Similar to Meech Lake but also proposed aboriginal self-government
Defeated in the West by the Reform Party (many believed that the accord
gave Quebec too much power and did not address the issues of other
groups)
The Defeat of the Charlottetown accord led to new urges to separate in
Quebec
Referendum 1995
. No side won 50.6ohto 49.4%
I
I